Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Kellogg is recalling some of its Special K bars and Keebler Cookies because of concerns tied to the nationwide peanut butter salmonella outbreak.

Special K Recall and MoreThis time, the products affected are Special K Protein Meal Bars, honey almond flavor. The bars come in six- and eight-count packages, have a “best if used before” date earlier than February 1, 2010, and have one of the following three UPC codes: 3800039778, 3800039935, or 3800039931.

The Keebler cookies involved are the Soft Batch Homestyle Chocolate Chunk Cookies and Oatmeal Raisin Cookies that comes in the 2.5-ounce size. The products will have a “best if used before” date earlier than June 30, 2009. They’ll have one of two UPC codes: 3010032708 or 3010037899.

Kellogg says the products don’t actually have peanut ingredients from the Peanut Corporation of America but were made on the same line as other products that may have had the tainted peanuts.

Kellogg is also expanding its recall of Austin and Keebler Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers and snack-sized packs of Famous Amos Peanut Butter Cookies and Keebler Soft Batch Homestyle Cookies. The recalls for those products now include all code dates and varieties.

Monday, February 2, 2009

February 2, 2009: A combination of epidemiological analysis and laboratory testing by state officials in Minnesota and Connecticut, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have enabled FDA to confirm that the sources of the outbreak of illnesses caused by Salmonella Typhimurium are peanut butter and peanut paste produced by the Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) at its Blakely, Georgia processing plant.

Peanut butter is sold by PCA in bulk containers ranging in size from five (5) to 1,700 pounds. The peanut paste is sold in sizes ranging from 35-pound containers to product sold by the tanker container. Neither of these products is sold directly to consumers. However, through its investigation, FDA has determined that PCA distributed potentially contaminated product to more than 100 consignee firms, for use as an ingredient in hundreds of different products, such as cookies, crackers, cereal, candy and ice cream.FDA initiated an inspection of PCA’s Blakely plant on January 9 shortly after learning that this firm might be linked to the ongoing Salmonella outbreak. FDA finished its inspection on January 27. A list of problems observed by FDA investigators during their inspection is available at this link: http://www.fda.gov/ora/frequent/default.htm. This list is not a final agency determination regarding compliance. The deficiencies observed indicate that the plant was not compliant with Current Good Manufacturing Practices required by the FDA. These deficiencies are related to cleaning programs and procedures as well as failure to implement steps to mitigate Salmonella contamination in the facility.

On January 28, PCA issued an expanded voluntary recall of all peanuts and peanut products processed in its Blakely, Georgia facility since January 1, 2007. The expanded recall includes all peanuts (dry and oil roasted), granulated peanuts, peanut meal, peanut butter and peanut paste. All of the recalled peanuts and peanut products were made only at the company’s Blakely, Georgia facility.

On January 30, FDA confirmed that FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations is involved in a Justice Department investigation of PCA.

FDA has been working with the company and purchasers of PCA's peanut butter and peanut paste to identify affected products and facilitate their removal from the market. FDA and state officials have visited in excess of 1,000 firms who purchased PCA products. Now, the same type of work is continuing and includes the additional products in the expanded recall.

Companies nationwide that received product made by PCA have issued voluntary recalls of their products. As FDA gathers additional information about these products, the list of recalled products is expected to expand. FDA has created a searchable database for these products, which can be found at http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/peanutbutterrecall/index.cfm. The list is updated frequently.

Product recalls include some pet food products that contain peanut paste that was made by PCA. While the risk of animals contracting salmonellosis is minimal, there is risk to humans from handling these products. It is important for people to wash their hands--and make sure children wash their hands--before and, especially, after feeding treats to pets. Further information for consumers is located in the Frequently Asked Questions section located on this web site. The pet food products are also included in the searchable data base of recalled products.

Major national brands of jarred peanut butter found in grocery stores are not affected by the PCA recall.

FDA and CDC recommendations for consumers include:

* Consumers are urged to check FDA’s web site to determine which products have been recalled and will be recalled in the coming days. Any product that is on the recall list should be disposed of in a safe manner. Consumers are also urged to wash their hands after handling potentially contaminated products. * If consumers are unsure whether a peanut-containing product is potentially contaminated, they should avoid consuming it or feeding it to their pet until they obtain more information regarding the product. * Persons who think they may have become ill from eating peanut products are advised to consult their health care providers.